


Secret Weapon

by HouseofSannae



Series: Kingdom Hearts Ψ [21]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood is mentioned, Gen, So take that as you will, plotted pre-Kingdom Hearts III, violence moreso than canon but not what I'd call graphic, written post-Kingdom Hearts III
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-09 19:57:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19482925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HouseofSannae/pseuds/HouseofSannae
Summary: Xion leads the vanguard of Aqua and Ven's plan to rescue both Terra and Isa from Xehanort's clutches.Unfortunately, life isn't quite that simple...





	1. The Plan

The downside of all the training she’d done, Xion was realizing, was that it was very hard for her to look like an amateur facing down Heartless for the first time.

She hacked, and quickly stopped herself from slashing. It was a little scary, letting the Shadows get so close to her, but that was nothing compared to what she’d be doing next. Right now, she was focused on trying to be sloppy, convincingly. It was uphill work.

She hadn’t caught the name of the world, but she was pretty sure the city she was in was called Stornway. It was a populous enough world to have a minor Heartless problem.

It was also populous enough that a random novice Keybearer appearing out of nowhere wouldn’t draw a line immediately back to the Guardians.

Xion allowed a Soldier to knock her flat on her back on the cobblestone street. She forced down the instinctive cast of Thunder that would give her time to get back up, and let the Shadows swipe at her legs. Her shriek of fear was not entirely faked.

There was a tinny, twanging sound, and the Heartless surrounding her dissipated, struck by a trail of what looked like bright pink crystal shards.

But she knew that’s not what they were.

“Well, now. What’s a girl like you doing with a weapon like _that?_ ”

Showtime.

Xion looked at the Keyblade in her hand. It wasn’t Oblivion. Instead, it resembled a honey pot, out of which extended a branch, culminating with a beehive for the teeth. Sora had lent her his Sweet Memories Keychain, on the basis of it looking less threatening than her base Keyblade.

And pathetic and unthreatening was exactly how she needed to appear, if Aqua’s plan was going to work.

“Hellooo. Talking to you, kiddo.”

“Oh, um… hi?” Xion said, uncertainly.

“Hi,” said the man, leaning over her and leering.

There was a silence that extended out uncomfortably. Xion remained on her back on the street. The man continued leering.

“I have to wonder,” the man said eventually. “Where did you get that weapon you were using?”

“Uh… at the weapons store, over there?” Xion said, gesturing in the general direction of the local weapons supplier. Even before the Heartless, this world was home to all sorts of monsters ranging from threatening to vaguely creepy. Xion had seen some of them on the multiple reconnaissance runs they’d made to the world before putting the plan in motion, and she swore the bulging, glassy eyes of the “slimes” or whatever they were called were going to show up in her nightmares. It was normal for denizens of this world to carry weapons, swords especially.

This was also why the fact that the man wore an eyepatch wouldn’t have been alarming to anyone besides Xion herself.

“ _Really?_ ” the man asked, tone indicating his disbelief. “As _if_. Last time I checked, that store doesn’t sell _Keyblades_.”

Xion blinked, and slowly rose up from the ground. The man let her. “Key…blades?” she asked, carefully modulating her tone to sound uncertain.

“Yep. That’s what it’s called. And you can’t just pick one up off the ground and use it; trust me, I’ve tried. So where did you get it? Someone must’ve given it to you,” the man said.

“Um… there was… a person… a couple of days ago…” Xion tried, not making eye contact.

The man nodded. “Let me guess. Dude with pink hair?”

“I… They were wearing a hat?” Xion said weakly. She wasn’t sure who he was thinking of, but she’d roll with it.

“Course he was,” the man said dismissively. “Well, you know what to do with it. Pointy Key goes in Dark thing. Did he tell you why?”

“Why… what?”

The man sighed. “Okay, you were told nothing. All right. Just leave the whole spiel to me. It’s perfectly fine. As _if_.” He rolled his eye. “So basically, you’ve got a Keyblade now, so you’re supposed to defend the light from darkness, yadda yadda yadda. Look, kiddo, I’m gonna level with you. Most of that? All bunk. It’s about keeping a balance.”

“Between… light and darkness?” Xion asked.

“Yeah, well, between Light and Darkness,” the man said. Xion rolled her eyes inwardly. She could hear the capital letters, but an actual neophyte wouldn’t have understood. So she didn’t comment on it. The man continued. “That said, do you see a whole lot of Darkness around here? _I_ don’t.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Xion asked. “Those monsters–”

“A good thing? As _if_ ,” the man said. “No Darkness whatsoever? Does that _sound_ balanced to you?” He was leaning in uncomfortably close.

“I… suppose not?” Xion tried, leaning away.

“Exactly!” The man jerked back away, a broad, humourless grin on his face. “So how would you like help restore _real_ balance?”

“Real balance?”

“Darkness and Light in perfect harmony! Or at least, that’s what the guy in charge claims. You ask me, he spent a bit too long cooped up reading books at your age. Rotted his brain. That, or he’s just trying to impress his dead boyfriend. Go figure.”

“Um…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, means nothing to you. Forget it, kiddo. Whaddya say?”

Xion stared. “I’m sorry, I don’t… understand what you’re offering here?”

The man sighed. “Fair enough. I represent a group of people who are looking to set the world into balance, Dark and Light. Thing is, we need a certain number of people to do that properly, and _you_ are uniquely qualified because of that little Keyblade of yours.” He looked over Xion’s Keyblade with well-disguised, but still noticeable if you were familiar with him, disdain. “The old guy in charge is a Keyblade wielder, too. He could probably give you some tips, steer you in the right direction. I’ve never heard complaints about his teaching.” Interesting wording, Xion noted to herself, disgusted. “Don’t have a Keyblade myself, not all of us do, but I’ve been promised some… let’s call them benefits if we do the job right. Might be a Keybearer myself one of these days. Could you imagine that?” He leered at her, like there was some sort of private joke she wasn’t understanding.

“So, interested?”

Xion looked at him, feigning suspicion. It wasn’t hard. “…Are there benefits?” she asked.

The man laughed. “Sure, kiddo. Your every need taken care of for _life_.”

“…Okay,” Xion said, smiling.

“All right!” the man said, smiling back. If you knew neither of them, you might think both were sincere. “Wait right here. I gotta get you something.”

“Get… what?” Xion started to ask, but the man stepped backwards through a Dark Corridor and was gone.

She let out a sigh. This was hard work.

The man returned a couple minutes later. “Here. This should fit.” He tossed her a black coat.

“What’s this?”

“Eh, partially a uniform, partially protective garments. That Corridor I just stepped through is a real quick method of travel. But, not really good for the complexion. Put it on.”

Xion looked at the coat, and was about to step into it when she realized she really should be struggling with figuring out how the zippers worked. “Um,” she said, “how do I..?”

“Zip them all the way down, step into it, zip the top one up, zip the bottom one up to fit,” the man said, as if he’d been expecting it.

“Thanks,” Xion said, and did so. She zipped up the coat and repressed a shiver.

“Hood up,” the man said. “It’s not protective if you’ve got it down.”

“Right…” Xion said, and slowly drew the hood up over her head, willing her hands not to shake, her stomach to not feel queasy.

There was a _reason_ why none of her new clothes had hoods.

“Aight, we’re ready to go. There’s a bit of a ceremony. A bit of initiation, let’s say. Not everyone will be there, because of reasons, but most of us will. Side note, should’ve asked this earlier, you got a name, kiddo?”

“Aster,” Xion said without hesitation. It had been Ven’s idea, picking a fake name and practicing responding to it beforehand. It was her name that restored people’s memories of her, after all. Wouldn’t want to give the game away too quickly.

“Aster, huh? Nice. Floral,” the man said, and turned to open a Corridor.

“Wait, what’s–” Xion started, and flinched as he looked back.

“Huh?”

“What’s your name?” she asked, quieter this time.

The man leered again. “Right, didn’t tell you what my name was. Well, you can _call_ me Xigbar.”

The Dark Corridor brought them to a large room, with dark brown stone walls and a dirt floor. Xion had no idea what world it was in, but that was half the point of her presence. Ominously, they’d arrived within an almost-complete circle of six black-coated figures. All also had their hoods up. “Gentlemen,” Xigbar said, indicating Xion. “This is Aster. She’s interested in joining up!”

“Fascinating,” echoed a voice. It wasn’t Xemnas’s, but it sounded familiar. Perhaps it was Ansem, Xion mused privately. She’d never met him in person, nor had she heard Riku when he adopted his voice, but it stood to reason. “And what has she to offer us?”

“Show ‘em, kiddo,” Xigbar said, nudging her with his elbow. Xion took a deep breath, and summoned her Keyblade.

There was a brief susurrus as the assembled Seekers of Darkness conversed amongst themselves. “Now how did she get _that?_ ” one of them demanded, sounding equally amused and angered.

“It was an old… _friend_ of mine,” Xigbar said. “Helped us out quite a bit, huh? So, Aster. Ready for your… _initiation_?”

“There’s something in the way you say that that makes me think I should consider carefully?” Xion said.

Xigbar laughed. “Ha! Well, it is a big decision. But, as long as you agree, it’ll be all right.”

“And… what exactly am I agreeing to?” Xion asked. Her Keyblade was still out, but she didn’t raise it, the better to catch them off-guard with.

“Ah, well. Little thing I didn’t tell you. See, in order for us to use you… you’ve gotta get a bit of the boss’s heart put inside you,” Xigbar said, stepping closer to her. “Now, if you go willingly, you end up like me. Pretty much still yourself! But if you don’t… Well, it’s a good idea to agree, let’s just say. Right, Saïx?”

There was no response from the ring of hooded men.

“Exactly!” Xigbar said as if there had been one. “Honestly, though? I miss being able to rile him up. But! Needs must! So, what do you say?”

“I think…” Xion said, backing a step up but running into the line of hooded men. One of them put his hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“I think…”

“I think you’re _stalling_ , kiddo.”

“I think… I’m going to go with option three.”

“You’re… what?” Xigbar said, leaning back in confusion.

Giving Xion just enough room to bring her Keyblade up and create a Light Corridor.

It was an interesting oddity with the Light Corridors. While you could only make one to a world you’d already been to, what formed was a pathway between the destination, and the location you were now in. And you could enter that pathway from either end.

It would have been impossible to make a Light Corridor to this world.

But once someone was there, it was simple to make a Corridor to the Mysterious Tower.

That had been Xion’s role.

And she had performed beautifully.

A figure in metallic blue and olive armour burst through the Corridor. Ven swung his Keyblade and cast Aeroga. It was not intended to do any damage, merely to change one small detail.

As he and Aqua had predicted, all of the present Seekers had turned towards the opened Light Corridor. His wind spell caught them all full in the face, blowing their hoods back and revealing their faces.

There, at the back, were two people with the exact same face.

Terra’s face.

Time for the next phase.

The next person through the Corridor wore no armour, but the furious expression on his face had about the same effect. Keyblade in hand, Roxas strode into the room, with one goal in mind. Centering on the two Seekers with the same face, he bellowed, _“XEMNAS!”_

One – and only one – of the lookalikes broke into a wide smile. “Ah, Roxas,” he intoned. “So you have indeed returned to us. It warms my _heart_ to see an old colleague once again.”

“You don’t have a fucking _heart!_ ” Roxas spat.

“Ah, but I now contain Xehanort’s heart,” Xemnas said, with a smug smile. “You would be surprised to learn how much I can now _feel_.”

As they talked, a figure in silver-blue armour also entered through the Corridor. “Did it work?” Aqua asked.

Ven nodded. “The one on the left!”

The two moved as one, summoning their gliders as Riku, Kairi, Lea, and Naminé burst into the room, Keyblades at the ready.

This had been a point of contention in the planning stages. Both Sora and Vanitas had been left out of the operation.

_“But why am I not going?” Sora said._

_“Because we already know Xehanort wants you as a vessel,” Aqua replied. “I’m not giving him anyone else he wants.” She looked down at her hands, clasped together in her lap. “I’m sorry, Sora, but I don’t want to risk you.”_

_“Kairi’s going!” Sora said, indignant. “So’s Roxas and Ven and Lea and Naminé! And Xion’s right in the thick of it! I thought Riku was the only one safe from possession?”_

_“Sora, I love you, but… I think she’s right on this,” Riku said, shaking his head at his boyfriend’s look of betrayal. “Yeah, everyone else is at risk here. But Xehanort pushed our entire Mark of Mastery exam off the rails, just to try to get you as a vessel. He wants you in particular. I think you should stay here.”_

_“Riku!”_

_“I agree with them,” Kairi interjected, ignoring Sora’s pout. “He wants you in particular. Probably because of how much it would hurt all of us if…” She trailed off, a muscle in her jaw twitching. “You’re important to us. You keep us all going in the dark. We…_ I, _can’t afford to lose you.”_

_“Neither can I,” Riku added. “I’m sorry, Sora.”_

_Sora pouted, but sighed and said. “All right. At least Vanitas’ll keep me company, right?” He looked over to the other boy, sitting in the corner._

_Vanitas glared at Aqua. “And why am_ I _not going?”_

_Aqua returned his glare. “I didn’t want to put you through that yet. It’s not necessary.”_

_Vanitas’s eyes narrowed, but he accepted this._

Across the room, Keyblades were clashing with various weapons. Ven and Aqua had dashed across the room on their gliders, landing right next to Terra. Ven had seized his arms, and Aqua had bound both of them in chains. Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Naminé, Lea, and Roxas were holding off the other Seekers.

Xion had pulled the hand restraining her off her shoulder, surprised to find that it was Saïx. “Lea!” she yelled. “Over here!”

“So, they got to you first, huh?” Xigbar sneered as Xion removed the Sweet Memories Keychain, revealing Oblivion in all its glory. “Or maybe… this was all planned from the start.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Xion taunted, heart in her throat.

Xigbar smirked. “Eh. I can live without knowing.” He leveled his arrowguns at her stomach.

As he fired, Roxas moved, knocking both bolts to the side. “Xion! Are you all right?” he blurted without thinking.

Xigbar blinked, and let out a groan, putting a hand to his head. “Why… does… oh. … _Oh!_ ” he said, slowly starting to grin again. “Hello… _poppet._ ”

At the sound of Xion’s yell, Lea spun around, seeing Saïx take some steps back from her.

He was there in a flash. “Isa!” he yelled.

Saïx ignored him, stepping back towards Xion.

“Dammit, Isa, don’t _ignore_ me!” he growled, blocking the other man’s way. There was something unfocused about Saïx’s eyes; he’d noticed it in The World That Never Was, during the Mark of Mastery exam. It was worrying.

Further worrying was the way Saïx drew his claymore and struck without hesitation.

Lea brought his Keyblade up to block, grunting a bit with the effort. “Isa, don’t make me do this!” he ground out.

Saïx’s eyes seemed to focus. “Ah. You are… Lea, yes? One of my failed vessels.”

Just for a second, Lea’s grip wavered, enough for Saïx to push him to his knees. “You’re… not Isa,” he gasped.

“Mmm, no, no I’m not,” Saïx said. “But I believe you know who I am.”

“This can’t be happening,” Lea said, arms wavering. “He wasn’t like this back in the Organization.”

“Ah, yes. He wasn’t,” said Saïx. It was eerie, hearing his friend’s voice with Xehanort’s inflections. “Back then, he took to my darkness willingly. To save _you_ from the same fate. But this time? He proved… less than willing. So I am now in control.”

“Fuck you!” Lea snapped. With effort, he pushed himself back to his feet. “Give me my friend back!” With a mighty effort, he broke the blade lock and swung, knocking Saïx back.

“That’s a pretty neat trick,” Xigbar offered, staring down Roxas and Xion. “I had forgotten _all_ about you until just now, poppet. Is that because you were a Replica?”

They didn’t answer him, but he continued. “So _that’s_ what you looked like to the kiddo and flamesilocks. Cute, if a bit Kairi-esque.”

Roxas’s eyes narrowed.

“Did I touch a nerve?” Xigbar taunted. “Careful, Roxas. You want to look _cool_ in front of girls, right – whoops!” As he spoke, Roxas launched himself forwards. Xigbar caught the strike on one of his arrowguns. “Now that’s just not nice – hey! I was talking! You’re being rude, you know!” Xion joined him, clashing on the other weapon. “Honestly. You two are the _worst_ Soras.”

“We’ve got him!” Ven yelled, struggling with Terra.

“Good! Get out!” Riku ordered, dodging a swipe from Ansem’s Guardian.

“On it! Help Lea!” Aqua called, creating another Light Corridor under their feet. The three of them sank through it, the last the group saw of them being her casting Sleep on Terra. The silver-haired man slumped as they faded from view.

“I see. You seek your fallen friends?” Ansem asked, parrying a swipe from Riku. “How _noble_.”

“Shut up!” Riku growled. Behind him, Mickey parried a strike from another silver-haired man Riku didn’t recognize. Kairi and Naminé spun in a slow circle, pinning Xemnas down with flurries of Fire and Blizzard. They were also trying to hit the other man, a blond Riku also didn’t recognize, but he was haphazardly dodging out of the way. It looked extremely annoying.

“Unfortunately, we do require _more_ Seekers, not _less_ ,” Ansem drawled, ignoring him. “Xemnas? If you would stop humoring them?”

“I suppose I cannot spend _all_ my time having fun,” Xemnas said, slowly raising his hand.

A checkerboard-patterned force field sprung up around Kairi and Naminé, cutting them off.

“Oh, _shit!_ ” Riku gasped, as he and Mickey were similarly hemmed in.

“Gosh! That’s gonna make helping Lea a bit difficult!” Mickey exclaimed.

“Still you struggle,” Saïx noted with a hint of amusement. “It’s admirable, really.”

Lea, from his position on his knees in front of the other man, growled. “Shut _up!_ ”

“It may interest you to know that, unlike Terra, your friend is still within me,” Saïx said. “Meaning,” he added, leaning close, “he knows you’re here for him. And he’ll know when you _abandon_ him again.”

“I did _not_ abandon him!”

“But you _did_ ,” Saïx countered, smirking. “You abandoned him for _them_.” He waved his hand to indicate Roxas and Xion in the distance, still clashing against Xigbar. “Why did you think he hated them so much? He lost you to them.”

“That’s not what happened!”

“Oh? I wonder what Isa would say about that, if you could only ask him.” Saïx laughed. It wasn’t Isa’s laugh. Lea grit his teeth, and lunged forwards.

“All flame and heat, aren’t you?” Saïx commented, countering his strikes with ease. “And easily blown out.”

“Isa!”

“And repetitive.”

“I didn’t fucking _ask_ for your opinion!”

“Clearly.” Saïx caught Lea’s Keyblade on his claymore again, leaning in close. “Give it up. Your _friend_ is no more. Merely a part of me, now.”

“Fuck _OFF!_ ” Lea broke the clash, leaping back and pointing his Keyblade at the other man. “He’s not _yours,_ he’s _mine!_ And I _will_ get him back! I will _always_ be there, to bring him _back!_ ”

“And yet, when forced to choose, I wonder which you’d pick?” Saïx asked, calmly.

It was at that moment that Xemnas’s barriers flared up between them.

“It seems you’ve missed your chance,” Saïx noted with disdain.

“Fuck you! Isa!” Lea strode forwards and stabbed the tip of his Keyblade against the barrier. His face screwed up in rage, and his Keyblade ignited. “I’m coming for you!”

Fire is not patient. Fire is demanding, consuming. If fire encounters an obstacle, fire goes around it. If fire can’t go around it, fire goes over it. If fire can’t go over it, fire goes under it. If fire can’t go under it, fire goes _through_ it.

Fire finds a way.

A white-hot point started to glow in the barrier. Slowly, Saïx smiled.

“Perhaps there may be more to you than I believed.”

“Fuck!” Roxas shouted as a barrier sprang up between them and Xigbar. Looking around, he noted that their other friends were similarly walled off, although he and Xion seemed to share an enclosure with Lea.

“Aw, round’s over already? I was just starting to get warmed up,” Xigbar said.

“I think I’ve had enough of your shit,” Roxas growled.

“’Course you have,” Xigbar said dismissively. “No, no, I get what you’re doing. Angry looks in stereo.” Roxas and Xion were both glaring at him. “Well on the road to becoming full-fledged Keyblade wielders, the both of you.” 

A Dark Corridor opened next to him, and Xemnas stepped out. “Xigbar, that’s enough. We’re leaving.”

“Really?” Xigbar asked. “We’ve got them right where we want them.”

“They do not have their seven, we do not have our thirteen. It is not time,” Xemnas insisted.

“All right, fair enough,” Xigbar muttered. He squinted. “Hey, was flamesilocks ever strong enough to burn through your barriers?”

“No,” Xemnas answered, flatly.

Xigbar waved his hand towards Lea and Saïx. “Wanna make sure?”

There was another loud roar of “ISA!”

“Perhaps a distraction is in order,” Xemnas allowed. “If you would do the honours?”

“Me? Argh, fine. You know, I was saving this for a special occasion. But, I guess I can get another one.”

“Another what?” Xion demanded, stepping forwards.

Xigbar leered. “Tell you what, poppet. As thanks for your little charade, I’ll let you find out.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Roxas demanded, stepping forwards as well, but Xigbar had vanished from view. He and Xion moved to cover one another, standing back to back.

“Just a little present.” Xigbar’s voice echoed from nowhere. “You might feel a little prick.”

[Roxas and Xion both turned towards the source of his voice.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwK5nmzNMJc) Not seeing him, Roxas stepped forwards in confusion.

And with a sharp twang, a yellow bolt shot out of nowhere and impacted Xion in the stomach.

She didn’t scream, didn’t cry out. All that left her was a single gasp of air, before she toppled over, a glassy look in her eye.

“Xion? Xion!” Roxas rushed to catch her as she fell, panicked. “Curaga!”

Nothing happened.

“What? No!” Xion was starting to breathe faster, taking shallow breaths. “ _Curaga!_ ”

Nothing happened.

“No, no, not again, _please_ not again! Xion!” A bright red liquid was starting to spill out from Xion’s stomach, staining Roxas’s gloves as he tried to put pressure on it. _“Curaga!_ ”

Nothing happened.

“Rox…as…” Xion reached up to cup his face.

“ _NO!_ ”

Saïx was watching the barrier slowly melt, unfazed. “You must realize your efforts will all come to naught.”

“I said it before, I’ll say it again,” Lea snapped, grimacing with the effort he was making. “Fuck _off_ and give me my friend back!”

“They must all find you very entertaining,” Saïx deadpanned. “If we are repeating ourselves, then allow me to reiterate my question. If forced to choose, who would you save?”

“All of them!”

“And yet, that might not be possible.” Saïx smirked. He summoned a Dark Corridor and stepped into it. “Goodbye, Lea.”

“Get _back_ here, you–!”

“No,” Saïx said, simply. “You failed. You will not be getting another chance to appropriate my vessel. Take heed, lest you lose the rest of those you call _friends_.” Scorn dripped from his tone.

“I’m not finished with you!” Lea pushed, hard, against the barrier, but even with all the damage he’d done to it, it held fast.

“Yes, you are.” Saïx said. “And you must both be content with knowing your best… was not enough.” A dark smile slowly spread across his face. “And with this, the seed of my darkness will have a home in his heart… _forever._ Thank you, Lea. You’ve performed an invaluable service to me today.”

“No…” Lea slumped down to his knees, pounding his fist against the barrier. Saïx shook his head, smiled, and stepped through the Corridor, to parts unknown.

It was over.

“ _Axel!_ ”

That was it. Their one shot, and it was gone. They wouldn’t be getting another chance, not with Xion recognizable and Xehanort on alert now that they had Terra.

Isa was as good as lost to him forever.

“ _Axel!_ ”

He’d been so close. There was no reason why it shouldn’t have worked.

He just hadn’t been strong enough.

“ _Axel!_ ”

And Isa knew it. Isa knew that he’d come to rescue him. Isa knew that despite everything, Lea still wanted him back.

And he also knew that Lea had failed. That Lea wouldn’t be getting a second chance at this. That there was no way to find him now, until the final battle. At which point it would be far too late.

There was no point to this.

There was no point to any of this.

_“LEA!”_

Lea jerked out of his depressive spiral, the shock of hearing his name from the one person who never used it bringing him back to full awareness.

And the first thing he saw was Roxas, tears running down his cheeks, cradling Xion in his arms as she stared at nothing, breathing faintly.

Bright red stains, so comically bright they almost looked fake, covered her stomach, and Roxas’s gloves.

“Xion’s hurt,” Roxas said, faintly, through his tears. “We have to go.”

Six simple words, and like that his universe reordered itself.

There was no time to dwell on Isa. Right now, Xion and Roxas needed him.

Lea opened a Light Corridor, and scooped Xion off the ground. “Cure’s not working?”

“No.”

“Then I have an idea, but we need to hurry.”

The stepped through the Corridor, the last people to leave the room.

Silence resounded. All was still.

Lea burst out of the Light Corridor with a shout. “KAIRI!”

“I’m here, what’s… _fuck me sideways!_ ”

Lea lowered Xion to the ground. They’d all popped out on the grounds of the Mysterious Tower. Aqua had disentangled Ven from the chains binding Terra, and their long-lost friend was still in an enchanted sleep. Both had removed their armour, but no one had entered the Tower yet.

“What happened?” Naminé gasped.

“Xigbar,” Roxas spat, and that was all they could get out of him. He looked ready to collapse himself, and Naminé, Riku, and Ven each moved to support him.

“Cure’s not working,” Lea said, grimly.

“Then I know what to do,” Kairi said, equally grim. “Help me get this out of her.”

Gently, though Xion still whimpered in pain, Lea and Kairi drew the yellow quarrel out of Xion’s stomach. A renewed flow of blood started leaking out of the wound. “No you _fucking_ don’t,” Kairi snapped, and placed her hand on Xion’s stomach.

As Aerith had taught her so long ago in Traverse Town, pure healing magic started leaking out of her hand and into Xion. Xion twitched, and let out a sigh. Gradually, colour returned to her cheeks, and her eyes focused.

“Rox… as…?” she choked out.

“I’m here! I’m right here, Xion!” Roxas said, tearing himself away from Naminé and Ven to kneel at her side. Her hand found his, and she squeezed tightly.

Slowly, she smiled. “I’m here, too. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Though tears continued to pour down Roxas’s face, he smiled.

It took several minutes, but eventually, the wound closed. There wasn’t even a scar. Gingerly, Xion sat up, only to be immediately enveloped in a hug by Roxas and Lea. Everyone else leaned in around them.

“Thank you, Kairi,” Xion said.

Kairi smiled, though the look in her eyes was enough to show how worried she’d been. “Hey, what are sisters for?”

Xion smiled back, then looked around in confusion. “Lea, did we not get Isa?”

Lea had been smiling up until this point. “…No, we didn’t, Xion. I… couldn’t get to him in time.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Xion said, then took a sharp breath. “It’s… was it because–”

“No!” said Lea and Roxas both. They looked at each other in surprise, and Lea continued. “It’s got nothing to do with you getting hurt. I couldn’t get to him through Xemnas’s damn barriers.”

Xion pursed her lips, but nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered. Roxas hugged her again.

“Well, at least we got Terra back,” Lea said, straightening up. Everyone present had been living with him long enough to know the expression on his face was _not_ a smile, no matter what he insisted. “That’s a good thing.”

“It is,” Aqua said, “but…”

“Hey,” Lea cut her off, “it’s fine. We knew getting them both was a long shot. Can’t win them all.”

She grimaced. “Lea…”

Any further discussion had to be put on hold.

Donald and Goofy came tearing out of the Tower, Donald shouting something at the top of his lungs.

“Slow down, Don, we can’t understand you when you shout,” Mickey said, holding up his hands to calm his friend, but it was in vain.

“Your Majesty!” Goofy cut in, near panic. “He’s saying, Sora and Vanitas’re missing!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where to start with this? Well, the beginning is a good place to do that, according to Julie Andrews. So we might as well work our way through in order.  
> The world Xion and Xigbar meet in is a location from a Disney or Square Enix property; I've given the hints, but I'm curious to know if anyone recognized it without looking it up.  
> Xigbar is... really fun. I've been looking forwards to writing for him for a while. I had plans... that kind of got thrown out the window by the Big Reveal™. As for how that's going to affect this AU... _you'll just have to wait and see_.  
> If you're thinking "huh that was kind of easy getting Terra back", the real hard part comes from getting Xehanort out of him. That's what the _next_ fic is about. This one did wind up being more about the Sea-Salt fam, but hey. I've been saying "we're gonna get Terra back" for months. Was it never suspicious that I didn't mention Isa?  
> On that note, let's talk about Norting and how it differs here from what was formally established in KH3. I, like I think most people, was imagining Norting to being a lot more like being possessed, rather than... "eyes change colour and that's about it". So, like Xigbar says, voluntary Norting leaves the personality pretty much intact, but _involuntary_ Norting is a personality overwrite by Xehanort. Eh, actually, "overwrite" is the wrong word. "Takeover" might be better; Isa is still in there, in an "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream"-type situation. Kind of like being a Controller in Animorphs (by the way, guess what I spent the past month or so bingereading. My public and school libraries didn't have the full series when I was reading them in middle school, so it was nice to actually finish it. Also, ouch.)  
> I think those are the major points. As for the minor stuff:  
> The whole "Fire finds a way" bit was lovingly stolen from Greg Farshtey, the author of the Bionicle book series. If we want to talk about early childhood influences... but I digress.  
> If you want to know why Sweet Memories instead of Hunny Spout: this was planned out before KH3 came out. Even if it wasn't, Sora didn't have that Keychain to give her since this AU is happening instead of KH3. So, no Xion with a deadly bee weapon. (Bees. My god.)  
> There are two unnamed Norts! Let the speculation begin! I'm not going to give straight answers either way! Muahahahaha! Ahem. (Specifically, the Norts present were: Xigbar, Xemnas, Saïx, Ansem, Terranort, Unnamed Nort 1, and Unnamed Nort 2. And this Terranort is one that recompleted after Ansem and Xemnas were killed in KH1 and KH2. I just want to say that in case anyone thinks it's Young Terranort from BBS; because it's not.)  
> A side effect from having a piece of Xehanort's heart stuck in him is that Xemnas can now feel emotions. (this happened between his appearance in Re:Adjustments and now) Yes, I plan to milk this for comedy. It is a veritable mixed metaphor of a gold mine.  
> Finally, "what happened to Sora and Vanitas" will be explored next week. And I will take this opportunity to remind you that Xehanort is still in the market for new vessels...  
> Have fun with that thought until next time!


	2. The Flaw in the Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, life is that simple.

“They’re _what?!_ ” Kairi demanded, rising to her feet. “What happened?”

“We don’t know,” Donald said, calming down enough to be intelligible. “They were in the common room until a little while ago, but now we can’t find them!”

“The Tower is protected, right?” Riku said, just as worried as Kairi but less visibly so. “Xehanort couldn’t have gotten in…”

“The Seekers weren’t all there,” Naminé murmured, before she could stop herself.

“No,” Aqua said. “Master Yen Sid’s wards would have kept them out. And besides, there would have been a struggle; one of you would have heard something.”

“Unless they went… willingly…” Roxas said, not wanting to believe it himself.

Ven shook his head. “No, they couldn’t have gotten in. That means, if Sora and Vanitas aren’t here, then they left by themselves.”

“That’s okay then, though, right?” Lea asked. “They’re probably just over in Twilight Town.”

“The train’s still here,” Riku pointed out.

“Sora could’ve Light Corridored them over,” Lea countered.

“But why would he, instead of taking the train?” Kairi whispered.

There was silence as they considered this. “Well, why else would they be gone?” Lea demanded, a hint of anger leeching into his voice.

“Ya looked all through the Tower?” Mickey asked Donald and Goofy, not answering Lea for the moment. “And nothin’ was out of the ordinary?”

Donald nodded. “Unless they were avoiding us, we didn’t see them.”

Goofy put a hand to his chin. “Gawrsh, there was that one room with the big crystal ball.”

“The what?” Aqua asked.

“There was this big crystal in the middle of the room,” Donald explained. “It looked like a map of the worlds, and there were a bunch of sideways plus signs on it.”

“You mean… ‘X’s?” Riku asked. For some reason he couldn’t explain, there was a feeling of foreboding growing.

“Yeah!”

Aqua’s eyes widened. “It couldn’t be…”

“Well don’t just say that and _stop_ ,” Roxas said, sarcastic.

“…You remember how Xehanort tracked Sora through the Realm of Sleep by marking him with the Recusant’s Sigil?” Aqua asked Riku.

Riku nodded. “Yeah?”

“And… you remember how Terra, Ven, and I all had crossed straps on our clothing that made the sigil?”

“Yeah?” Naminé said. She was starting to feel the foreboding as well.

“And… you remember how everyone in the Organization had an ‘X’ added to their name?”

“Yeah…” Lea said, confused.

“And… you remember how any crossed lines can be the Recusant’s Sigil?”

“...oh, _fuck,_ ” Kairi said.

“So that crystal… was tracking the Organization?” Roxas asked, confused. “But… why? And who would have known how to…” he broke off, eyes widening.

Because Vanitas would have known how to.

Because Vanitas had tracked Aqua of his own accord, thirteen years ago.

“…That’s impossible,” Roxas started again. “He didn’t _want_ to go back.”

“…People do funny things when their necks are on the line,” Lea said, faintly, as if he didn’t want to believe it himself.

“But Vanitas isn’t _like_ that!” Kairi protested. “Not _really!_ ”

“He… he wouldn’t have,” Naminé agreed. “…right? He wouldn’t have… taken Sora… to…”

Ven looked over at Aqua. On some deep, dark, spiteful level, he was half expecting to see a small look of smugness, of vindication, of “I-told-you-so” on Aqua’s face.

Instead, there was only shock, fear, and, yes, it was there: betrayal. Like even she couldn’t believe Vanitas would do that.

On a higher, lighter level, Ven was happy about that.

But it was mostly overshadowed by concern for Sora and Vanitas both.

“Okay, we can’t think about ‘why’ for the moment,” Xion said, struggling to her feet. She was a little unsteady, but Roxas was immediately there for support, his arm around her waist and hers over his shoulder. “We need to think about how to find them.”

“She’s right,” Kairi said, the confidence in her voice belying how her hands were shaking. “We can figure out what happened after we get Sora back.” No one mentioned the omission, but everyone seemed uncomfortable. “First, we–”

Kairi was cut off as another Light Corridor swirled into being right in front of them. As they watched, a brown, spiky head poked its way into reality.

“Oh, hey guys,” Sora said, stepping out of the Corridor. “Sorry, we thought we’d get back before you all–”

“SORA!” Kairi, Riku, Donald, and Goofy all shouted, and ran to him, almost knocking him to the ground.

“Whoa! Hey, I missed you all, too, but–”

“Where were you?!” Kairi demanded, shaking a little more noticeable now.

“And where’s Vanitas?” Riku said. Neither of them had let go of Sora.

“How _touching_ ,” grumbled a voice from the Corridor. “Now if you have the schmultzing out of the way, can give me a hand with this? He’s fucking _heavy!_ ”

Slowly, Vanitas made his way out of the corridor, which closed behind him. He grunted, and dropped the sheet-covered oblong shape he was carrying to the ground.

Sora flinched. “Van! Be gentle with him!”

“What? He’s not going to wake up,” Vanitas said.

“That’s not the point!” Sora protested.

“What’s going on?” Riku interrupted.

“And where have you been!” Kairi added, insistent.

“Oh, uh… well…” Sora said, and knelt to pull back the sheet.

Pale skin, blue hair, and an X-shaped scar met their eyes.

“We were picking up Isa.”

**Earlier…**

“You can pace, you know,” Sora offered. “It’s not gonna bother me.”

“Fuck off.”

They were sitting in the common room. The energy was palpable, yet neither of them had any clue what to do with it.

“I know you want to help,” Sora continued. “I do, too.”

“Fuck _off_.”

“We just have to believe in them,” Sora said, solemn.

“And what the fuck is _that_ going to help?” Vanitas snapped at him. “All the belief in the worlds isn’t going to do _jack shit_ without action!”

Sora spread his arms. “What else _can_ we do, Vanitas?”

“…fuck off,” Vanitas muttered.

Sora let the silence hang for a second, but that was about all he could manage. “…I didn’t realize you were so invested in getting Terra back,” he said.

“I’m _not_ ,” Vanitas growled. “…it’s important to Ventus…. and to Aqua,” he added in an undertone.

Sora nodded, and wisely decided not to comment on this. “…shame we can’t track them,” he said instead.

Vanitas scoffed. “How could we?”

Sora shrugged. “The Recusant’s Sigil.”

There was a moment of silence.

“…the fuck did you just say?” Vanitas asked. There was a hint of alarm in his voice.

“The Recusant’s Sigil,” Sora said again. “Xehanort used it to track me, once, in the Realm of Sleep. Any two crossed straps can make it.”

“I know,” Vanitas said, distractedly. “I… used it to track Aqua. Before.”

“Wait, you know how to use it?” Sora asked, excited. “Then maybe we can–!”

“There’s no way,” Vanitas said. “Th – Xehanort would know better. Those black coats don’t have the Sigil on them.”

“Oh.” Sora looked down, frowning.

There was another moment of silence.

“…but we don’t need them to have outfits with it to track them,” Sora said.

“What?”

“Some of them are old Organization members, right?”

Vanitas blinked. “The fuck are you asking me for?”

“So, we _can_ track them!” Sora said, ignoring him.

“You’re not making any Void-damned sense,” Vanitas said.

Sora turned to him excited. “Vanitas, didn’t you ever wonder why everyone in the Organization had an ‘X’ in their name? Roxas, Xion, Axel, Xemnas, Saïx…”

He hadn’t thought to wonder about that, actually. “…you’re shitting me,” Vanitas said.

“Nope! Xemnas put it in there on purpose!” Sora said, excited. “Do you think it would work?”

“It… might,” Vanitas conceded. “But it doesn’t just… _work_. You need something to track them _with_. Th – Xehanort had this star-shaped crystal thing.”

Sora thought for a second. “Yen Sid was a Keyblade Master, right?”

Vanitas stared at him. “…The rodent would’ve needed a lot of watching.”

“Don’t call him that,” said Sora, “and Yen Sid would’ve needed something to track him _with_.”

As one, they both stood up. “I’ll start at the top of the Tower, you start at the bottom,” Sora said. Vanitas nodded, and they ran for the door.

“In here!” Vanitas called, and Sora rushed into the room after him.

“Whoa… I was gonna ask if you were sure, but…”

“I’m pretty fucking sure,” Vanitas said, nodding. He’d found a room that contained nothing but a large, spherical crystal. It was about the size of the table in the kitchen. “I guess being a ‘sorcerer’ is all about appearances.”

“Can you make it work?” Sora asked.

Vanitas nodded, and placed a hand on the crystal orb.

The orb’s interior, initially a milky white, turned solid black, then filled with points of light. “The worlds?” Sora asked.

“Yeah. Now shut up and let me concentrate,” Vanitas ordered.

There were no markings to distinguish the worlds, but as they watched, five “X”s appeared at various points. “How do we know which one’s which?” Sora asked.

“We don’t,” Vanitas said.

“How did you know which one was Aqua, way back when?”

“…I knew which one was Ventus, because we were connected.”

“But between Terra and Aqua?”

“…I don’t know,” Vanitas admitted. “It was… a feeling.”

Curious, Sora walked over, and put his own hand on the crystal.

“…That one’s Roxas,” he said, pointing at a lone ‘X’. “So that must be the Tower.” The ‘strike team’, for want of a better word, hadn’t left the world yet. “And… that one’s Xion.” He pointed to another one, closer to another ‘X’. “Someone from the Organization is with her.”

“Can you tell who they are?” Vanitas asked, taking Sora’s recognition of his friends in stride.

“No, but… maybe you can? Xemnas _is_ Terra, so…”

“Hrumph.” Vanitas narrowed his eyes and focused on the last three. “It’s not the one with Xion, but that one feels familiar and I don’t know why.”

“Maybe it’s Xigbar?” Sora suggested. “Aqua said his name used to be Braig?”

“That fucker?” Vanitas asked, incredulously. That was something to process later, when he had the time. “…Yeah, I think that’s him.” The Xigbar ‘X’ and the Xion ‘X’ were now moving, joining with the two unidentified ‘X’s.

“So he’s got to be one of the other two,” Sora said.

“…that one’s Terra,” Vanitas said, pointing at one of them. Sora looked at his face and decided he didn’t need to ask if the other boy was sure.

“So the last one’s Isa. Er, Saïx,” Sora mused. “Oh, there goes Roxas!”

Roxas’s ‘X’ had now joined the other four.

Sora leaned in close. “Good luck,” he murmured.

“…good luck,” Vanitas echoed faintly.

As they watched, the ‘X’s stood still, until there was a break. “Xigbar’s leaving?” Sora asked.

“Yeah,” Vanitas said. “So’s Xemnas.”

“Roxas and Xion are still there, though, and so’s Saïx, so…”

But as they watched, Saïx’s ‘X’ moved as well.

And not towards the Mysterious Tower.

“They… didn’t get him,” Vanitas whispered.

“No…” Sora said, disheartened.

Next to him, Vanitas clenched a fist. “…No,” he repeated, louder.

“Huh?”

“We can do something about this. You and me. We can go after him, and bring him back here.”

Sora stared, then slowly smiled. “But… We don’t even know what world that is,” he said, not as a protest, just as pointing out as slight problem.

Vanitas smirked. “That doesn’t matter.”

“Why not?”

Saïx stood and sighed. The standing orders had been to disperse; the Guardians didn’t need them to gather all thirteen of their number, after all, so best not to group together in event of disaster. The world he’d come to was covered in grasslands, and far below the cliff face he was standing upon, hunters went about their daily lives, fighting monsters quite dissimilar to Heartless.

He placed a hand over his chest, willing the longing feeling to be silent. Rather than send the heart that belonged here in this body into submission, the contact with its old friend had instead roused it to greater rebellion. “He left you,” Saïx hissed. “He does not _care_ about you.”

The heart continued to defy him.

“If that is what you believe,” Saïx growled, “then you should _Sleep_.”

As the heart quieted, another Dark Corridor opened behind him. “We were instructed to _scatter_ , you’ll remember,” he said without looking. “Following me is not conducive to that.”

“Last time I got any instruction from the old man was quite a long time ago,” said a voice Saïx didn’t recognize, but the part of him that was Xehanort did.

“Vanitas?” he asked, turning around to regard his former, failed apprentice. The boy was wearing an older style of the black coat, and from the way it was rumpled, he was wearing clothes other than his dark suit under it. His helmet was missing. Saïx was surprised to see the resemblance to Sora.

“Aw, you remember me. I’m fucking _touched_ ,” Vanitas sneered.

“What do you want?” Saïx said, turning back to the cliff side. Vanitas was not a threat to him, even if his presence at this juncture was a mystery.

“To join up. I heard the Master was in the market for additional vessels.”

Saïx turned back around. “Willingly?”

Vanitas scoffed. “Like I can deny him.”

That brought a smirk to Saïx’s lips. “Good. You understand your place. But he will not be amused at your long absence.”

“I guessed as much,” Vanitas said. “Which is why I brought him a gift.” He gestured, and another Dark Corridor swirled into being, depositing a figure in another black coat, equally out of date, beside him.

The figure was kneeling, their hands seemingly bound, and the hood drawn over their head. Vanitas summoned his Keyblade, eyes locked on Saïx, and used the tip of Void Gear to flip back the hood.

Saïx’s eyes widened. “Figured the Master would want this,” Vanitas said without inflection.

Sora knelt on the ground before him. “He may indeed,” Saïx agreed. “You have secured us our thirteenth vessel. Xehanort will be most pleased.” There were questions he should have been asking, questions about where Vanitas had been, how he’d been able to capture and subdue Sora, where he’d gotten the black coats. But the internal struggle with the heart in his vessel had distracted him, and Saïx knew the questions would be answered once Vanitas was brought before Xehanort.

“You get to carry him, though,” Vanitas said. “I did the hard work.”

Saïx raised an eyebrow. “I believe I would outrank you.”

“I have seniority,” Vanitas countered.

“…Fair enough,” Saïx said, realizing the argument wouldn’t be worth it. He bent down to lift Sora.

It was at this point that Vanitas brought the pommel of his Keyblade down, hard, on the back of Saïx’s head. The bluenette collapsed, and Vanitas grinned. He waved his hand over the body. “‘Sleepza’.”

“Vanitas!” Sora said, undoing the knots in the rope and standing up. “That wasn’t nice!”

“If you want actual sleep magic, go to Naminé or Aqua,” Vanitas said, dismissively. “It worked, didn’t it?”

Sora pouted, but proceeded to pull a sheet out of his coat and wrap Saïx in it as Vanitas clipped the Keychain Ven had given him back to his Keyblade.

“Done,” Sora said, straightening back up.

“…Hey, Sora?” Vanitas said, quietly

“Yeah?”

“…I’m not going to get pissed at you if you call me Van, But!” he added, holding up a hand to forestall the delighted grin on Sora’s face, “Don’t overdo it.”

Sora turned down the wattage a bit, out of respect. “Can do, Van. Can do.” He looked at Saïx and pursed his lips. “…you get to carry him, though.”

“Hey!”

**Now…**

“And that’s what happened!” Sora concluded, to the dumbfounded looks on everyone’s faces. Beside him, Vanitas had struggled out of the Organization coat and tossed it at Roxas.

“Here. We raided your closet,” he said.

Roxas blinked. “This… is mine?” he asked.

Vanitas shrugged. “Can’t go through a Dark Corridor without protection.”

“Where did you get the other one?” Kairi started to ask, then quieted as Sora turned a bit red, and Xion’s eyes widened.

“Uh… yeah. Sorry about this, Xion,” Sora said, scratching the back of his head. “But no one else had one, so…”

“No, I… don’t mind,” Xion said, shaking her head. “Just… please stay out of our closet from now on?”

“Absolutely!” Sora agreed, still red.

“Yeah,” Roxas added, “if you want to borrow a dress, go to Kairi.”

“We’ll keep that under consideration,” Riku said, smirking at both Sora and Kairi as they blushed.

Lea, meanwhile, had moved over to brush the hair out of Saïx’s sleeping face. “Told you so,” he murmured. “Even if I needed help.”

Ven crouched down next to him. “Doesn’t mean the effort you put in wasn’t important,” he said, softly.

“I know,” Lea said, equally softly. Louder, he added, “Sora, Vanitas… thank you. This means… so much to me.”

Sora beamed. “Of course, Lea! What are friends for?”

Lea beamed back. Vanitas, for his part, looked away, uncomfortable. This meant he was looking directly at Aqua, who had a strange look in her eye.

“What?” he demanded.

“This was your idea?” Aqua asked, quietly.

“Yeah, what about it?” Vanitas said, defensive.

Aqua looked down, then back up at him. “This was… kind, of you. I didn’t want to put you at risk, but…”

Vanitas scoffed. “Some things are worth a little risk.” He blinked. Where had that come from?

Aqua’s eyes had widened in surprise, but as he watched, her lips twitched into a smile. “Well done.”

Vanitas froze, and slowly turned red. “Whatever.”

Aqua snorted, then bent down to pick up Terra’s body. “Lea, the Tower has an infirmary. I’m taking Terra there, can you bring Isa?”

“Yeah, ‘course,” Lea said, lifting his friend.

“How long has it had an infirmary?” Naminé asked, curious.

Ven shrugged. “Always and never?” he said. “I try not to think about it too hard. Maybe the rooms go into ‘storage’ when they’re not needed?”

“We should take you there, too,” Roxas said to Xion. “Get you checked out, make sure everything’s okay.”

“Roxas, I feel fine,” Xion said, frowning. “I don’t need…” She trailed off upon seeing the look in Roxas’s eyes.

“Please?” he said, quietly. “So that we’re positive nothing’s wrong anymore?”

“…Okay, sounds good,” Xion said, reaching down and squeezing his hand where it was still wrapped around her waist.

The procession made their way into the Tower’s infirmary, where Yen Sid was already waiting. He said nothing to Vanitas and Sora about their adventure, instead focusing on maintaining the Sleep spell on Terra and putting an actual one on Saïx. There would be time to wake them both up later, when they were in a position to restore them to themselves. He also gave Xion a once-over, confirming there was nothing wrong with her.

“Still, though, what is this?” Ven asked. He had, using the sheet Sora and Vanitas had used for Saïx, brought the offending quarrel along with them. “Was it stopping the Cure spell from working somehow?”

“Hmm…” Yen Sid took the quarrel from him, and held it up to the light. “Kairi, Lea, Naminé… would you know what I meant if I said this was crystalized Etherium?”

“You’re kidding,” Kairi gasped.

“I am afraid not,” Yen Sid said. “It is very rare to find, even in its home world. It takes thousands of years to form into this shape; though such crystals are coveted as weapons, as we have experienced.”

“Wait, I’m confused,” Sora said. “What’s Etherium?”

As Yen Sid turned to explain, Roxas tugged on Xion’s shoulder. “Come on, we should put our coats away,” he said.

There was something in his tone that worried Xion; namely, that it sounded completely normal and unafflicted. “Roxas, is everything–?” she started to ask, but he just smiled.

Or, he pulled his lips back from his teeth. “Smile” was a strong word to use for that. “Come on,” he said again.

Roxas said nothing as they walked up the stairs. He said nothing as they entered their room and closed the door. He said nothing as they put their black coats away in their closet.

It was only when all that was done that he turned to Xion, reached for her hand, pulled her into a hug, and burst into tears.

There are times when “what’s wrong” is the absolute worst thing to ask. “Roxas, I’m fine. I’m right here. I’m alive, I’m not hurt, I’m fine,” Xion murmured in his ear, slowly easing them down to the bed.

“It’s… not… _fine!_ ” Roxas sobbed, pressing his face into her shoulder. “You almost died! You almost died, in my arms! _Again!_ ”

“I _didn’t_ ,” Xion soothed. “It’s okay. I’m here.” She gently rocked him back and forth.

“I don’t get… why are you not bothered by this?” Roxas mumbled. She had to strain to hear him.

Xion pursed her lips. The simple answer was that _of course_ she was bothered. _Of course_ she was shocked. _Of course_ she was barely holding together.

But Roxas needed her. She had to be there for him.

“…You need me right now,” Xion whispered. “I can break down la–”

“ _No._ No no no no _please_ don’t do that,” Roxas said, pulling away to look at her with desperation in his eyes. “Don’t put me in front of you. _Please_ don’t put me in front of you. That’s how we ended up with you fading away in Twilight Town. Don’t hold yourself back to take care of me.”

Xion stared at him. Her lip quivered. Tears grew in the corners of her eyes until she couldn’t hold them back anymore, and she collapsed onto Roxas’s shoulder, bawling her eyes out.

This, in turn, set Roxas off again, and the two held each other tightly, needing to feel each other, to know the other was there, and still alive.

There was a gentle knock at the door. Both of them were too absorbed to do anything about it, so the person on the other side was forced to take matters into their own hands.

“Roxas, Xion, I’m respecting your privacy by knocking, but asserting my role as your friend by coming in anyway.” Lea poked his head in the door, and froze upon seeing the two of them on the bed. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m here.” He slid into the room, closing the door again behind him, and sat on the bed next to them. They looked up at him through tear-drenched eyes, and gratefully latched onto him as he maneuvered between them. He rubbed their backs. “Let it out. It’s okay.”

“S-s-s-sorry,” Roxas choked out, but Lea shook his head.

“Don’t be sorry, Rox. Like I said, tears are how we let out excess emotion.” Lea patted his back.

“We’re getting you all messy,” Xion mumbled. Lea chuckled.

“If that’s the price of making you feel better? Fine by me,” he said, squeezing her tighter.

He didn’t begrudge them their feelings; how could he? The same black terror had taken him once he’d seen Xion dying. It might not have been as intensely personal for him as it was for them, considering what Roxas and Xion had been through together, and how they felt about each other, but they were still his friends.

…No.

Tonight, of all nights, he could make an exception.

“…hey, uh,” he said, and Roxas and Xion looked up at him. “Look, I’m sorry if it’s weird, but… if you two wanted to… just for tonight…I’m not going to be freaked out if… Fuck, what am I even saying?”

“I don’t know,” Roxas said, smirking, “What _are_ you saying?”

“Blow your nose,” Lea said, matching his smirk. His smile faded as he contemplated how to phrase it. “If you two wanted to think of me as… as your dad, just for tonight, I’d–!” He broke off as Roxas and Xion’s eyes widened, and both tightened their arms around him, pressing their faces into his sides.

“...okay, Dad,” Roxas whispered.

“Thanks, Dad,” Xion agreed.

Lea was glad that in this position neither of them could see him blushing. “Just for tonight. I’m not old enough to actually be your dad, got it memorized?”

“Yes you are,” Xion said, muffled a bit by the way her face was pressed into his shoulder. “You’re twenty-seven, and we’re three.”

“You’re sixteen!” Lea protested. “That doesn’t count!”

“I agree with Xion,” Roxas said, also muffled.

“Of course you fucking would,” Lea grumbled. “You might be a bit biased. Just a tiny bit.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Roxas said.

“Sure you don’t,” Lea said, drily.

“I thought what we did behind closed doors was our own business,” Xion said, teasing.

Lea squeezed his eyes shut. “It is. It is, and forget I implied it.”

“Sorry, no can do, Dad,” Xion said, sweetly.

“Am I going to regret allowing this?” Lea wondered aloud to himself.

“You mean you don’t already?” Roxas teased.

“No. You two are sounding better already,” Lea replied.

Roxas laughed. “Fair enough.” He hugged Lea tighter. “I’m lucky to have both of you.”

“So am I,” Xion said, reaching for and taking Roxas’s hand.

“Hi, lucky to have both of us, I’m Dad,” said Lea.

Slowly, Roxas withdrew from the hug, glaring at him. Xion also pulled back, and put a hand over her eyes. “Just for tonight, huh?” Roxas asked.

“Yep.”

“Good. I’m already getting the feeling you’d be fucking insufferable otherwise,” Roxas grumbled.

“I agree,” Xion put in.

Lea laughed. “Back when I was your age…”

“ _Stoooooppppp_.”

The relentless flood of clichés was interrupted by another knock at the door. “Come in?” Xion called.

The door cracked open and Kairi peeked her head in. “Hey, Sora thought we should camp out in the infirmary tonight, all of us. We’re bringing the mattresses, gonna set up a huge bed on the floor. You guys in?”

“Sure,” Lea said. “But, uh, give us a second, then we’ll join you. Okay?”

Kairi nodded, smiling. “Sounds good. Bring Lea’s bed, we could use the extra real estate.”

“Will do!” Roxas called.

“Hey!” Lea protested, but Kairi was already gone.

Aqua sat next to the bed they’d laid Terra on, watching him. There were new lines on his face, she could see up close. He alone of the three of them had actually aged over the course of the thirteen years since the Graveyard. Though the silver hair had nothing to do with that.

Aqua shivered and reached out her hand. Ven, beside her, took it and squeezed it. “It’s not going to be how it was anymore,” she said. Ven nodded. They both knew it.

“That may be true. But, just because it’s not gonna go back ta how things were, that doesn’t mean things can’t be good again. Just, in a different way, ya know?” Mickey leaned over from the other side of the bed. 

Aqua smiled. “It’s true,” Ven said softly. “He’s still our brother. No matter what else has to change, that won’t.” He smiled, too.

“Family is always complicated,” Mickey said, chuckling a bit. “Why, I could tell ya stories about me’n my brother Oswald when we were younger…”

“You have a brother?” Aqua asked, surprised. “You’ve never mentioned him.”

“I haven’t? Gosh, guess he just didn’t come up,” Mickey said. “He’s the ruler of his own world. We… had a bit of a falling out, a long time ago.” His ears drooped somewhat, then rose up again. “But, we figured it out a couple years ago! We’re fine again. And I check in on him whenever I can!”

Aqua smiled. “We take care of our little brothers, huh?” she asked, ruffling Ven’s hair. Ven pouted and pushed her hand away, and she laughed.

“Actually, Oswald’s my _big_ brother,” Mickey said.

“Huh. That explains a lot,” Ven said.

Before Mickey could ask what he meant, the infirmary door swung open to reveal Kairi, Riku, and Sora dragging some mattresses. “What’s this?” Aqua asked.

“We’re camping out in here tonight!” Sora said. “And you are, too!”

“We figured the two of you, and Lea, would want to be as close as possible to them, since… you know,” Riku said.

Aqua nodded, smiling gratefully. It made sense, and did mean she and Ven wouldn’t have to camp out in the chairs like they’d been planning. “Lea, Roxas, and Xion are coming, too?” she asked as Donald and Goofy pulled another mattress into the room.

“Yep. We asked Vanitas but he muttered something I can’t repeat in front of Sora,” Kairi said.

“Well, that’s his choice,” said Ven, although he was a little disappointed.

As the night continued, Lea, Roxas, and Xion showed up lugging Lea’s mattress. The infirmary floors were spotless (Ven still wasn’t sure the room had existed yesterday), so they had no qualms about creating one giant chimera on the floor. A sleeping position was quickly worked out: Riku in the centre, Sora and Kairi on each of his sides. Against Kairi, Naminé, with Lea on her other side and Roxas and Xion on his. As Aqua settled in on Sora’s other side, Ven blushed a bit. “Um, Aqua, would it weird you out if I wanted to cuddle?”

“Of course not, Ven,” she said, and held out her arms. Ven gratefully settled in next to her. Goofy, then Donald and Mickey settled in on Xion’s other side.

The night closed in, quiet and safe, and almost everyone drifted off to sleep. Everyone, that is, except for the one person who was awake to see the door crack open silently.

Vanitas edged his way into the room, took a look at the pile of cuddling bodies on the floor, and scoffed. However, he picked his way across the room, and settled into one of the chairs Ven and Aqua had eschewed.

He was just getting comfortable when he looked up and noticed Ven, awake, staring at him with a satisfied smile. Vanitas glared, and mouthed the words “Fuck off”.

Ven merely nodded, still smiling, and mouthed the words “Thank you”. Vanitas flushed, and crossed his arms, leaning back in the chair and doing his best to fall asleep.

There was work to be done in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you know I don't do unhappy endings. This shouldn't come as a shock. (Although, it's not "the" ending, techincally. But I digress)  
> Not a lot to talk about this time around. The speculation about Vanitas bringing Sora to Xehanort could've been the cliffhanger for the previous chapter, but I think we all know Vanitas wouldn't do that (benefits of seeing the inside of his head), so the question of "where are they" served the purpose better.  
> The "star-shaped crystal thing" may sound like a Star Shard, but it's actually a crystal/glass/transparent aluminum (idk, something crystalline and transparent, take your pick) wayfinder. A little nod to Xehanort's home world that Vanitas had zero context for.   
> I consciously didn't give enough information for the world Saïx is found in to be recognizable, so I'll just straight-up tell you that it's the Archylte Steppe from Final Fantasy XIII-2, circa "???" AF. This is your friendly reminder that Final Fantasy XIII-2 is happening concurrently with this series... sort of. As "concurrently" as a time travel story can, at any rate. Again, there will be an explanation of the relevant information when the time comes for it.   
> Yes, I have mentioned Oswald the Lucky Rabbit! I have also never played Epic Mickey! So while the Wasteland as a world does exist in this AU, we'll likely never be seeing it. (Plus, like Shibuya, it's something that's been done and been done better by other people, and I've got nothing new to bring to the table).   
> I believe that's about everything I want to address! In two weeks, we begin the final (two-chapter) standalone fic before we're in multichapter city (I have the first one almost done, two chapters left. Then, the long ones. @_@). Getting Terra's body back was the easy part. Getting Xehanort out of his body... well, they'll find a way.  
> Until next time!


End file.
